Two aspects of age differences in visual information processing will be studied using brief tachistoscopic presentations of visual information. The first line of research will investigate age differences in iconic memory using the direct measure procedure of Haber and Standing (1969). Preliminary investigations finding reliable differences between 20 and 65 year old populations will be followed up with parametric studies of the entire adult life span. The effects of target duration and illumination on age differences will be studied. Anomolous findings of age differences in the partial report procedure of Averback and Coriell (1961) will be investigated with special interest directed to age difference in time required for shifts in focal attention and pattern recognition. The second line of research will investigate age differences in peripheral and central perceptual processes using the criterion and procedures of backward masking reported by Turvey (1973). Preliminary investigations finding large and reliable age differences in peripheral and central processes between 20 and 65 year olds will be followed up with parametric studies of the adult life span. The peripheral processing investigations will focus on the effect of target energy in monoptic and dichoptic peripheral masking. The central processing investigations will assess the potential confounds of ocular dominance in dichoptic measurement procedures, collect parametric data across the adult life span and further examine the effects of practice in escaping central masking. BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: Hellige, J. B., Walsh, D. A., Lawrence, V. W., and Cox, P. J. The importance of figural relationships between target and mask. Perception and Psychophysics, 1977, 21, 285-286.